'I'VE BEEN RUNNING POLLING STATIONS FOR 41 YEARS'
A man who has been in charge of polling stations in Nottinghamshire for more than 40 years says he has no plans to stop any time soon.
"I've been retiring as long as the Rolling Stones have," said 63-year-old Andy Wragg, who worked at a general election for the first time in 1983 at the age of 22.
He worked at Ashfield District Council at the time and said it was a requirement for staff to help out at elections.
Mr Wragg now works for the NHS but he will once again take on the role of presiding officer at a polling station in Lady Bay on Thursday.
'Eating all day'
Presiding officers have "overall responsibility" for polling stations, which are open between 07:00 and 22:00 BST on election day, according to the Electoral Commission.
His responsibilities on the day include checking that voters have brought photo ID with them - a requirement since May 2023 - and making sure no-one accidentally takes their ballot paper with them.
Mr Wragg said it was a "very, very long day" but he took satisfaction in helping democracy take place.
"Every cog, every wheel, every nut, every bolt - remove one and the system drops," he said.
"You're with some great people who you work with over the years and you enjoy each other's company. You're pretty much eating all day."
Mr Wragg said he had been based at the Scout Hall in Mona Road "for a number of years now", and had a team of three polling officers.
He said things usually went smoothly on polling day but he had dealt with some "unrest" in the past.
"During the early days, you'd occasionally get someone come in a little the worse for wear late at night," he said.
"Generally I can calm the situation down, but I do have authority to call the police in those circumstances."
Mr Wragg recalls an election when the lounge of a "beautiful farmhouse" was used as the venue for a particularly small polling station and he had to politely ask the owners to stop coming in for a chat with voters.
He said he had to design a "new process", where after casting their ballot, voters would go into the kitchen for coffee and cake.
"This lady was baking all day," he said. "I think it's the only time we've had 100% turnout," he said.
"I would like to think they came to vote but I think the cake was a persuasive factor."
Mr Wragg has only ever been to cast his ballot in a polling station once in 1979 at the age of 18.
He has used a postal vote ever since due to working on all subsequent elections.
"This coming July is arguably the third biggest electoral event I've worked on," he said, after his first election in 1983 and the one in 1997.
"It [the 1983 election] was an incredible election to be engaged in and involved in," he said, citing the end of the Falklands War the year before and the upcoming miners' strike.
Mr Wragg is looking forward to overseeing a polling station again on Thursday and playing a part in the electoral process.
"You do get a buzz from it," he added.
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2024-06-30T06:48:06Z dg43tfdfdgfd